PetSmart

Reviews 3

II

Iirai Costner

My pup, Christal, would be mad at me right now if she found I gave Petsmart less than 5 stars. This Petsmart is HER store. She knows it inside and out. PARKING/LOCATION: There is a lot of parking in front and around the entire plaza area its located. Location is far enough from main traffic that its easy to pull into from the back side roads from Gilman Dr. I usually take that way to avoid the speed bumps in the area. There is a poop station in front of the store, which makes it convenient for dog owners to walk their dogs before or after the visit to the store. EMPLOYEES: Employees are very friendly here. Every time I make a purchase, they always let me snag a couple of treats for Christal from the cash register counter. ;) PETSMART GROOMING: I was so bummed to hear that Christals regular groomer, Kim, has gone MIA and is no longer working here. She does an excellent job with Christal all the time, even accomodating her immediate medical concern I have with her. I am one of the customers who believes in tipping (especially since Christal needs some extra TLC while being handled by grooming), and so Kim has always bumped me in to her busy grooming appointment schedule. Since shes gone, I have received a great Yelp referral of using Sarah instead, and she did such a good job with her last time. I have yet to see if shell be consistently as good as Kim was. ;) PETSMART HOTEL/DAY CAMP: Christal used to stay here overnight for several nights at a time when my husband and I took long trips. I always chose the suite for her (never the rooms). The rooms look like theyre in a shelter, so I always feel weird thinking Id leave here there. At least with the suite, theres four walls (to block out the sounds of depressed dogs), a glass door, a TV, a bed, and anything else I wanted to leave her with. . . .I knew she was always in the best care possible, and I could call them anytime I wanted to check up on her. All of the employees there knew her by name, and its always amusing when she has a grooming appointment and were both walking toward Grooming, and instead she heads straight for the Hotel (which is just next door). During the holidays when they had Santa photo opps, Christal, my husband, and I decided to come in for a picture. We walked in, and "Santa" said out loud from "his" chair in a high-pitched voice (it was a female employee), "Is that Christal? Hi Christal!" Christal ran and scurried toward Santa. It was the cutest thing. ;) I could even literally let go of her leash when we first enter Petsmart, and KNOW shell head straight for the Hotel. Thats how I know theyre treating her really well. :) Since Ive switched her to a raw food diet, shes been unable to stay overnight... only during the day. The Hotel refuses to handle raw foods. :( Huge, huge downside. Im still seeing if I can find alternatives to her diet so she can stay overnight again. PETSMART BANFIELD: Christals regular vet. She first came here as a puppy when she had giardia and parvo. The vet at the time (Dr. Schlereth), took care of her, and because of him and his generosity, we were able to nurse her back to health. I still have yet to trust the other vets, but I havent found anything wrong with them yet. Christal is on their Pet Wellness plan, so it doesnt cost us anything for her Comprehensive Exam or dental cleanings. PRODUCTS: Everything is here, except for Christals "groceries". They try to carry all the high-end natural foods too, but really, theyre all commercial brands with corn-fillers, etc. Not good for dogs. I was so appalled with some of the ingredients in some of these dog foods and treats that Ive switched her to a raw-food diet completely. We really come here now for their services. And toys. :)

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charlotte danger sargent

ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE! If I could rate negative stars, I would. I came in here to get a chameleon after my last one passed. First of all, their enclosures for reptiles are absolutely an abomination. The UVB bulbs (the light a reptile needs for warmth, as well as digesting food, and proper UVB rays as a substitute for natural sunlight) are placed on top of plastic roofs of the enclosures - UVB cannot pass through plastic, so these little creatures are essentially getting 5% of the light they need. Next, the employee knowledge, or lack thereof. I was a bit curious as to what the clerks DID know about chameleons, since their enclosures were s*** and they all looked very malnourished. I wasnt surprised that not a single worker could give me good advice on what one would need for a chameleon (proper screen enclosure, not a glass one, proper lighting, substrate, temperatures, and food) - if I had followed the advice of the people working here, I would have spent over $400 in "chameleon equipment" that would have been completely wrong for one of these little guys. Thirdly, once I saw the little chameleon they had in stock, looking so weak he could barely climb, had bowed legs from malnutrition, and a deformed casque from pressing his head so hard up against the roof of the cage trying to get the warmth he needed - I knew I had to rescue him, or he would certainly die, most likely within the week. Despite the OBVIOUS signs of decay and illness, ALL of the workers tried to tell me he was just fine and thats how chameleons look (....very, very, very sad that they either know THAT little, or literally dont care at all). I took the little guy home, and made a vet appointment for the next day. Not to my surprise, this chameleon had an advanced case of Metabolic Bone Disease - this is a disease affecting reptiles when they are deprived of the correct lighting and housing conditions for a long time (the disease takes a while to set in, so this little guy was neglected for a LONG time). He had three broken arms from being weak (not getting the proper vitamins, light, or food) and falling in his cage. The vet confirmed my fears when he said he would not have lived another week in those rotten conditions. I called Petsmart to voice how upset I was, and that I worry for the rest of the reptiles, as well as seek compensation for his vet bills. I was met with a very rude associate, and then manager, who told me I could bring him back and return him and that was it.... (as if Im gonna bring this poor helpless chameleon back to you so your crew can continue slowly killing him with their apathy). Petsmart has no business selling reptiles. Petsmart has no business giving advice on animals. Petsmart has no business being in business. Never going back to another one of these death traps in my life.

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Chase Jennings

UPDATE: Reptar died this morning. Barely even a year old. I included an image from when we first bought him. The other image shows him totally paralyzed from the stomach down, about an hour before we took him to the vet. No words... :-/ I was unknowingly sold a dying chameleon with Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD) and was told he was incredibly nice and super healthy. When I got home, I noticed his casque was completely asymmetrical, hes noticeably malnourished, his joints were weak --he constantly shakes -- and his front arm is definitely broken. Being an animal lover, Im refusing to return this little guy back to the hell hole he was being kept in and am going to nurse him back to life. The sleep cycle of chameleons are far different than the hours of operation of PetSmart. In addition to accommodating their needs for appropriate light, they also have completely failed to give them adequate nourishment, space, humidity and love. I understand its difficult to take care of a chameleon, but if PetSmart cant do it, then they shouldnt be allowed to sell and profit off these amazing creatures. So to Michael J. Massey, PetSmart La Jolla managers and all employees involved in this transaction -- Im tremendously disappointed in you and cant believe how unintelligible you are concerning seemingly obvious matters like these. In a place that is supposed to care for animals, youve ended up committing animal abuse. Ill be lucky if he lives. I will never support nor purchase anything from PetSmart ever again. Massive shame on this entire establishment.